When Gareth Southgate named his England squad for the Fifa World Cup in Qatar on Thursday he did so safe in the knowledge that those players who were not among the 26 only had 90 minutes to make him look foolish.
It took Ivan Toney less than 16. And if that wasn't enough, he did it again a bit later to wrap up a stunning 2-1 Brentford win at Manchester City.
The striker was the talk of many a workplace this week when the England selection was announced and Toney’s name was missing from the list. That was certainly the case at Sportsman Central, and you can understand why.
READ MORE:
- Every 26-player Fifa World Cup squad
- Nobody's talking about West Ham's slump
- England 9/1 fourth favourites in Qatar - Betfred*
After scoring goals for fun in League One with Peterborough United and doing the same in the Championship to lead the Bees to promotion, the last season-and-a-half has seen the 26-year-old become a regular Premier League goal-getter and an iconic feature of the world’s most watched football division.
On Saturday he bounced back from the disappointment of missing out on the World Cup by winning the game for Brentford away to Manchester City. Rising up above Aymeric Laporte, he headed home Ben Mee’s flick-on to silence the Etihad Stadium. Then in the 98th minute he tucked home Josh DaSilva's cross. Besides being his 18th Premier League goal of 2022 – only Harry Kane has more among England players – the winner was also his 10th goal in just 14 games in 2022-23, and when he rolls in to training in Hounslow during the next six weeks he will wonder how his prolific form and talismanic performances have not been rewarded by the national team manager.
Callum Wilson has 67 Premier League goals in seven-and-a-half years, even taking into account his improved return of six in 10 this term. Is that World Cup-worthy form? Does he provide the kind of focal point in attack that Toney has been doing across multiple levels against all types of teams in the past few years? Can he drop off and link in and spread play in the way that Toney does?
And did Southgate really need that extra flair player he probably won’t use rather than plump for an in-form Toney? England’s loss is Brentford’s gain. They may have a blank calendar now until they play Tottenham Hotspur in 45 days’ time, but the Bees were easily the fresher of the two teams at Eastlands as players heading to Qatar seemed not to know how much to really go at each other. And that was how Brentford – with three World Cup players starting compared to City’s 10 – managed to get on top early.
In the longer term they will also benefit from the break Toney is about to have. Not for him a couple of flights across the globe and a potentially lengthy spell in Qatar. Instead he will be eased through the World Cup period and ought to be as fresh as a daisy by the Premier League resumption on Boxing Day.
With Toney leading their line, Thomas Frank’s side continue to look like a top-flight mainstay despite the recent ascent from the lower leagues. Even after Phil Foden's superb equaliser City didn't have enough to hold off Toney and Brentford. The champions would have expected more. People continue to underestimate Brentford, and Gareth Southgate has underestimated what Ivan Toney could have done for England out in Qatar.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject to Change
